Šencur’s Survival Instincts Shine in Five-Goal Thriller Against Vipava, Edging Closer to Safety in 3. SNL West

ŠPORTNI PARK, ŠENCUR — On a brisk October evening with the season’s final turns looming, Šencur’s hopes of 3. SNL West survival flickered boldly into life, clinching a dramatic 3-2 victory over Vipava in a match that unraveled with the tension and stakes befitting two sides desperate for traction in the league’s crowded bottom half.

The hosts entered the contest in 10th place, a haul of 32 points from 26 matches leaving them perched uncomfortably above the relegation mire, yet buoyed by recent attacking form—impressive wins at Šobec Lesce and Bistrc suggested a squad rediscovering purpose just in time. Vipava, by contrast, came winless in their last two, a scoreless draw and home defeat sapping momentum as they arrived at Športni park grappling with their own ambitions for midtable stability.

The evening’s narrative swiftly ignited. Within eight minutes, Šencur seized the initiative. A searching ball into the area found their in-form striker, who deftly steered home the opener, the home contingent roaring approval. If momentum seemed assured, Vipava had not read the script. Their talismanic winger, always a threat on the counter, punished a loose midfield touch with an incisive break, equalizing midway through the first half and resetting the encounter.

The pendulum swung again before the interval. Šencur’s midfield engine, orchestrating with uncommon poise, threaded a superb pass to orchestrate a textbook breakaway, resulting in a calmly finished second goal. The balance of the contest teetered precariously as halftime descended: Šencur ahead, but only just, with both squads showing patches of defensive vulnerability.

After the break, tempers and tactical nerves frayed. Vipava pressed urgently, forcing Šencur’s goalkeeper into a fingertip save to preserve their fragile lead. Yet the hosts struck next: a corner, poorly cleared, fell kindly at the edge of the box and was rifled home to put Šencur firmly in control at 3-1. The cushion, however, scarcely settled nerves. Vipava rallied, winning a penalty after a clumsy challenge; their captain converted coolly, setting up a frantic closing spell.

What followed was a showcase of grit and desperation. Šencur, spurred on by an animated technical area and a restless home crowd, defended deep as Vipava poured forward. The match’s lone booking, a late yellow card for dissent, underlined the feverish, sometimes chaotic closing moments. Yet the hosts were resolute, hacking clearances and throwing bodies in front of every cross, leaning into the raw edge that survival battles so often demand.

When the final whistle came, relief and jubilation commingled on the Šencur touchline. The win—Šencur’s third in as many matches—elevates them to 10th on 32 points, crucially opening daylight on the teams below as the season’s pressure cooker intensifies. For a side whose form earlier this campaign sputtered (tallying more defeats than wins), the sense of late momentum feels tangible and timely.

For Vipava, the defeat compounds a stretch of four matches without victory and leaves them mired in the lower reaches, searching for answers as crucial fixtures loom. Their attacking intent was clear, but defensive lapses and profligate finishing cost them dearly—problems that must be urgently addressed if they are to avoid being drawn further into the relegation undertow.

Tonight’s result also tilts the head-to-head rivalry slightly in Šencur’s favor, a small but meaningful consolation in a season dictated by inches and margins. The hosts’ ability to conjure goals—ten in their last three outings—is precisely the kind of form that transforms relegation candidates into survivors.

Now, as the league heads into its decisive weeks, both squads face defining crossroads. Šencur, energized by consecutive victories, can entertain distant visions of mid-table respectability, provided the commitment and defensive discipline on display tonight become habit rather than exception. Vipava, meanwhile, must regroup, finding resilience in adversity as the margin for error narrows.

For Šencur, the hard work is far from over—but on a night of high drama in Športni park, survival feels a touch more attainable, and hope, at last, is a feeling earned.